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Bernt Berger joined the DGAP as a senior fellow in July 2017. He is responsible for the institute’s Asia research program.

Berger worked previously at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) where he headed the Stockholm Office of the China and Global Security program as senior researcher. Prior to that he served as head of the Asia program at the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) in Stockholm and held research positions at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) in Berlin and at the Institute for Peace Research an Security Policy (IFSH) in Hamburg.

His work experience in Asia includes positions as a guest researcher at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) and a guest professorship at the School of Advanced International and Area Studies at the East China Normal University (ECNU).

publications

Selected Publications

by Bernt Berger
Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), 25 October 2018.

Following the inconclusive Singapore summit between the US and North Korea, Seoul decided to take matters into its own hands. International support for this crucial inter-Korean rapprochement process has been scarce, with many fearing to add fuel to the fire in the face of growing tensions with the US. Yet, it is key that the international community empower the two Koreas to set their own agenda towards stabilization - lest the historic oppportunity to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula vanish into thin air.

The Chinese Communist Party leadership's move to drop the constitutional limits restricting President Xi Jinping’s tenure have been interpreted as a long-term power grab by many international media. This view, however, misses a crucial point: The Central Committee is embarking on reforms to consolidate the government – from the top down. Not yet on board in this process are key stakeholders.

The standoff between North Korea and US is, in fact, a standstill – despite the increasing rhetoric of condemnation and confrontation on both sides. According to Bernt Berger, senior fellow for the DGAP's Asia program, moving beyond the spiral of conflict requires recognizing that a
new status quo has emerged, changing the narrative that frames the conflict for further negotiations, and encouraging international support and mediation.